Saturday, July 18, 2009

Eric's Timba

This is only the second public performance of "Eric's Timba" (provisional name), music by pianist Eric Hirsh and lyrics by sonero Nelson Delgado.

Azuquita en la cintura,Que sabrosura.

With tricky horn lines and funky rhythm breaks, and a warm, subtle melodic bouquet, this is another remarkable timba original to emerge from North Carolina.

I'm especially proud, therefore, that Nelson gave me a lyrical shoutout just past the 2:30 minute mark, right as the timba is heating up. He has a few words to say about the Triangle at minute 4:30.

I'm told that Gardel is due in the studio July 25 to get some of the new tunes recorded. click on these to see full size

Meanwhile, here's one more video--Nelson again in the lead vocal, covering Cheo Feliciano's "Por Mas Que Viva":

Andy Kleindienst does a little trombone soloing at starting at minute 2:20. This is a good example of GarDel doing the kind of Puerto Rican repertoire they started out with.

I hadn't been to the Eno Fest in a few years, so I was reminded again how good it is. It helped that they invited classy bands, gospel, blues, indie, bluegrass, and of course Latin (bravo). They have the widest variety of food vendors, with choices from the healthy and ethnic to fairway treats, as well as the best craft dealers. The quality and diversity of all the offerings hasn't been beat. There were fun environmentalists there too, walking the walk with their llama sculpture made of recycled trash bags, and by composting visitors' trash.

The only thing less than dazzling, my friends and I agreed, were the choice of T-shirt designs this year. For instance, the spagetti-strap tee, suitable for July heat and style considerations (am I right, ladies?), only came in one design (hawk) and three colors. As someone pointed out, the hawk is a dramatic animal, but this pose, plumply perched on a limb, is not very dramatic. So that seemed like a missed opportunity.

Paso, Pasito: likewise, always good to see you at events and especially this past Thursday. Speaking of "BYOC" Tambor Vivo has a NEW Cuban musician in their midst, that guy singing rumba was Alfredo Morua. He's just getting networked into the music scene...expect to hear more soon!